DesktopLinux
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  Blogs  |  Videos  |  ITLink

Keywords: Match:
Freespire Beta 1 arrives two weeks early
Jul. 18, 2006

Linspire CEO Kevin Carmony announced on the Freespire forum website July 16 that Beta 1 of Freespire has been released -- about two weeks earlier than anticipated. Freespire, a no-cost version of the Linspire Debian-based operating system, features a KDE desktop and a 2.6.14 kernel.

"As most of you know, our plan was to release the first Beta version of Freespire (Beta 1) on August 1. I have some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news: We will not hit that date. Now, the good news: We will release BEFORE that date," Carmony wrote.

Freespire Beta 1 is available for download now, but Carmony has a request for all those who decide to try it.

"Because we're releasing Beta 1 a few weeks early, it's not as polished as it would be if we kept working on it and waited until August 1," he wrote. "We thought, however, rather than make you all wait, we'd let you all help with the beta testing sooner than later."

Let's take a couple of weeks, Carmony wrote, "and keep polishing things up and working out a few of the remaining smaller bugs, before we loudly announce to the world, 'Freespire is here! Come and get it!'"

"We can do this at Linux World in mid-August," he said. "I'd rather see all the P2P sites jammed with Freespire 1.0, not our very first beta release."

Freespire Beta 1 and Freespire 1.0 are built with a more stable, but slightly older KDE and kernel, Carmony said. "We are doing this to just get a 'concept build' out to the community," he added.

Key features, according to Linspire, include:
  • out-of-the-box support for MP3 and WMV
  • plug-and-play support for Ati and nVIDIA cards, without user intervention
  • Click-N-Run app-get service
  • X.Org 6.9.0
  • BitTorrent 4.4.0
  • Gizmo, a free and easy-to-use Internet phone
  • a large number of new network tool features and supported Windows modems
  • OpenOffice.org 2.0
You can download your own copy of the 687 MB Freespire Beta 1 iso here.

OSDir has some screen shots here.

"Freespire is here! Come and get it!"

(Was that quiet enough?)



Related stories:


(Click here for further information)


Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

 



Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories:
• Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges
• WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops
• BeOS-like distro focused on content creation
• Lenovo launches a netbook
• Linux mini-PC takes two Watts to tango
• Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers
• Debian looks to launch lenny in Sept.
• Lenovo denies ditching Linux
• gOS 3.0 goes Gadget crazy
• OpenSUSE 11.0 arrives

All-time Classics:
• Choosing a desktop Linux distro
• Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes
• Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu
• The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better
• A simple Linux backup method
• Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives
• The well-tempered Debian desktop
• What's the best Linux for beginners?
• Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users
• VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of
• Getting to know Puppy Linux


Desktop Linux books

Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums:
•  Moving to Linux
•  Linux/Windows debate!
•  Linux Q&A
. . . and more


BREAKING NEWS

• Linux gains FPS
• Ubuntu tops on desktop, but not servers
• Browser swallows OS
• Tutorial reveals desktop Linux security tips
• Fedora 10 first impressions
• 8,000 TuxTop models and counting
• "Moonlight" ready to shine
• Adobe unleashes 64-bit Flash
• Debian Lenny installer arrives
• Ubuntu announces ARM port
• Amazon offers Linux XOs
• Windows 7 "no threat" to netbook Linux
• Creative frees Sound Blaster driver code
• Linux, netbooks threaten Microsoft's fat profits
• Ibex inspires GNOME switch


Linux-Watch headlines:
• Mistah SCO -- he dead
• Worst security blooper ever?
• Novell offers RHEL, CentOS support
• Windows 7 no threat to netbook Linux
• Microsoft breaks HotMail for Linux users?
• Torvalds: Real quality means taking it personally
• Opinion: open source value transcends tough times
• OpenOffice 3.0 reviewed
• Shutting down idle PCs with Linux
• Linux valued at $10.9 billion


Visit the...


news feed

Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.